


Jesus of Suburbia

by ravenswritingdesk



Category: Vampire Kisses Series - Ellen Schreiber
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drabble, Gen, High School, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 20:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenswritingdesk/pseuds/ravenswritingdesk
Summary: On an off day, Raven is fed up with Jennifer's bullying and lashes out.





	Jesus of Suburbia

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble has been a long time coming and I'm still not sure it's exactly where I'd like it to be. Raven's relationship with her parents has always been so complicated in the books, and I had to do a lot of reading between the lines in the last 9 years I've been writing her to figure them out. Their parenting skills (or lack thereof) have never been the best, especially given Raven's childhood background. To people that haven't read this series, Raven tends to come off as a just a spoiled brat that doesn't like it when she doesn't get her way, but there's so much more to her than that.
> 
> Raven's conversation with her mother might seem a bit out there at times but I tried to make it as realistic as I could without Raven rambling on too much. I had to find a balance between "angry and frustrated teenager" and "almost fully grown adult that realizes this stuff is messed up and doesn't matter".
> 
> WARNING: Some language and a bullying scenario (including mild violence) is present in this work.

Raven flung her backpack to her bedroom floor, flinging her door shut a little too hard. The thud reverberated in the hallway outside of her bedroom, and she was sure her mother had heard it, downstairs. Becky was out of town with family on personal business, or Raven would have been talking to her. She didn't want to bother Becky with the gritty details or distractions of "petty high school drama".

The day hadn't been good to Raven. Her homework from the night before had kept her up late, she hadn't gotten enough sleep, and it had resulted in her being crankier. Her resulting sour attitude had resulted in her snapping at one of the other girls in her P.E. class, once the emotions she'd been keeping bottled up were finally provoked to burst. All it took was _one little fisticuff_ in the changing room.

All Raven wanted was to get her clothes, get changed for her next class, and get out of there. But, one of the cheerleaders - a peppy blonde named Jennifer Warren, was standing in front of her locker and just _refused_ to move. Even after she'd asked nicely, twice, the girl just stared her down with a condescending smile and stood firm.

" _Move it, Jennifer_ ," Raven finally ordered coolly, her patience drawing thin. This was the third time and the normally-demure Goth girl was _done_ playing nicely.

"Make me, freak. What are you going to do? Bite me?" Jennifer retorted with a smile. The other girls were watching in horrorstruck awe, but Jennifer's comment made them all cover their mouths and giggle as they watched the two other females face off.

Raven's head canted and her eyes drifted to the ceiling before moving back to Jennifer's, her hands clutching into fists at her sides. "Since you _insist_ -" Raven sneered, her speech cutting short. Her hands moved forward to shove Jen out of the way, and she could hear the observing entourage gasp.

Raven wasn't normally a violent person like this. Typically she would just risk being tardy to her next class, but today was a " _kill or be killed_ " kind of day and Raven wasn't taking any guff from girls that insisted on making her life hell. Jen's expression changed from one of amusement to rage and she pushed herself back up, lunging forward as her hand took a fistful of Raven's hair, tugging.

The sudden pain of Raven's scalp being pulled made her yelp, and Raven kicked her foot forward, hoping to get a clear shot of Jennifer's leg so she'd have a window of time to get the other girl to release her hair.

"OW!" Jennifer yelled as Raven's shoe came in contact with her shin. Raven managed to pry Jennifer's hand out of her hair and used the confusion as another opportunity to push Jen aside, knocking her to the floor.

"Can't you just fuck off and leave me alone for once, Jennifer?!" Raven hissed, towering over her. "I'm not in the mood to fucking deal with your bullshi-"

"Jennifer! Raven!" a voice called harshly. Raven flinched. One of the girls must have slipped out to tell somebody what was going on. Both of the girls jumped as the teacher's aide entered the locker room, her eyes darting in between the both of them. "What's going on in here?!"

"Raven attacked me!" Jennifer accused, a perfectly manicured finger pointing in Raven's direction. The goth girl's dark hair was in a ponytail, but had been knocked awry by the hair-pulling.

"If you'd just moved when I asked you to the first time, and let me get my stuff out of my locker, maybe you wouldn't have that problem!" Raven shot back bitterly, pulling her hair out of the holder before shaking it out.

"Jennifer, you're already dressed. Go to Principal Smith's office and wait there," the aide ordered. "Raven, get changed and meet us there. You have five minutes."

Jennifer's eyes rolled and she made way for the exit, huffing. "Whatever."

"Everybody else, out, _now_. There's nothing to see here. Get to your classes. You're dismissed."

Raven watched as the girls moved out and the aide followed them without looking back. Exhaling, Raven released a breath that relieved some of the tension she was feeling, but her jaw was still tight. Raven rolled her eyes, as well, once they were all out of view and changed back into her regular clothes before grabbing her bag and heading for the principal's office. Sinking into a chair, Raven picked at the chipping black polish on her nails. It was something to distract herself from the punishment she knew was coming for picking a fight with another student.

The two girls were individually pulled into the office to talk about their side of the story. Raven didn't know what Jennifer said, but now that the drama had died down, Raven was mentally kicking herself for allowing her emotions to get the best of her. She rarely lost control of herself like _that_.

"Raven," Principal Smith sighed as she came in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Raven and this chair might as well have been on first-name basis with how often she was in here. His tone was less than impressed. He seemed disappointed, even. "You've _got_ to stop picking fights with the other girls."

"I didn't _pick_ any fights, Frank." Raven momentarily caught a warning glance from him. _Now is not the time._ Correcting herself, she continued. "Sorry - _Principal Smith_ \- I've been having a bad day since I woke up. I'm stressed out because of my homework load, cranky, and easily irritated because of it. It's not an excuse, though, and I'm not happy about what happened. When are you guys going to understand I'm not going out of my way to cause trouble for myself here?"

"Calm down, Raven. I hear you, I hear you," Principal Smith sighed, adjusting his glasses as he looked over the report the aide had written up.

"I asked Jennifer nicely to move, twice, so I could get my stuff," Raven explained, her voice cracking. There was a paranoid part of her that was convinced Jennifer had spun some sob story about how Raven had just "shoved her aside out of the blue" and she was "only defending herself" without giving any other context. It made her stomach turn and Raven straightened up, wiping a tear that'd dared to escape.

"Jennifer says you pushed her," he pointed out, his dull blue eyes darting up to her. "That is uncalled for, in any situation, Raven. Why didn't you tell the aide or Coach Harris?"

Raven sighed, impatiently and sat up a little straighter to rest her hands on the principal's desk. "I pushed Jennifer like _one time_ at first to try and get to my locker because she refused to move. Why doesn't your administration crack down on the bullying problem in this school more?" Raven countered angrily. "Isn't it completely _asinine_ that I have to ask my classmate _twice_ to move so I can avoid being late to my next class, for once? Jennifer heard me both times and she _chose_ to not move. She also called me a freak, but I'm sure she left that out."

"Raven, that's not the point of this conversation," he sighed.

"Tell me, is Jennifer going to get a slap on the wrist while I take the brunt of the punishment? I made a _mistake_. I'm _tired_ of getting practically crucified for stupid, little, petty things while everybody gets off scot-free for all the things they do to me because they're playing in some stupid sports team. It's easy to point the finger at me and say I'm trouble because I look like every potentially problematic kid in cinematic history, _I know_. I've heard it more than ten times from the hundreds of people living in this stupid town."

"We are dealing with Miss Warren's situation, Raven. We need to deal with _yours_. Apparently you also used profane language towards Miss Warren, and you kicked her."

"You got me on the language, but I only _kicked_ her because I would have lost a handful of my hair otherwise!" That part was probably a little dramatic, but it hurt. "After I pushed her, she lunged at me and took my hair in her hand and started pulling. That was instinct and me trying to get out of her grip. You can't fault me for instinctual kicks."

"Miss Warren also didn't tell us that she'd pulled your hair. And Raven, I assure you. We won't be letting her get away with this. But now, you need to face your consequences and stop putting it off. Alright?"

"Alright..." Raven tentatively agreed, seeming to momentarily be pacified at the thought of Jennifer getting punishment of her own. Principal Smith was scribbling things down with a blue pen on a pad attached firmly to a clipboard.

"Listen, Raven. You have _so much potential_ \- I want you to succeed, here. When you put your head into it and you apply yourself, you're a brilliant student, there's no doubt about that. You're creative, headstrong, you speak your mind honestly; those are all excellent traits to have. And the fact you said you didn't want to be late to your next class shows me you have been trying to be better. You used to skip regularly."

Hearing the principal talk was like hearing her dad, but for some reason it hurt even more coming from Principal Smith. She didn't even bother commenting on that last observation of his. Raven's lips pursed and her arms crossed as she looked down at the floor, wishing she could disappear into this chair as she sank down further.

"The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter who started this fight or what the cause of it was. You both broke school rules. We're going to give you both a day of out-of-school suspension." He handed her a pink slip from his desk and brought his hands back to himself. "You will need your mother or father to sign this slip and bring it to me when you've returned. You're excused for the day, Miss Madison. Promise me in the future that if you are having trouble with Miss Warren, you will not take the situation into your own hands. Tell your teacher and _we_ will see to it that she is properly disciplined. In light of what you've told me, I do realize you're frustrated. Hang in there, kid."

Sighing, she stood. "Thank you," she said as she slipped out. She didn't feel like saying anything else and stuffed the slip in her front pocket.

Raven managed to beat her father Paul home, he was often caught working late nights at the law firm. How the hell Paul Madison went from "flower child" to a practicing lawyer was beyond her, but _weird_ didn't begin to cover her family dynamic. Her mother, however, was home and Raven wasted no time making a beeline for her room.

It didn't take long for the knock to come at her door. "Raven? The school called," she heard her mother call from the other side. Sarah Madison was an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics, so most of her time was spent at home.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, mom," Raven warned. "Just go away and let me cool off."

The door opened and her mother stood at the threshold, arms crossed. "Raven. We need to talk about this _now_. Apparently you picked a fight with another girl at school? What if she presses charges?"

"Then dad can do me a favor and put his job to use," Raven mumbled, flicking at the pink slip on her desk. "What is there to talk about? I'm sure whatever you have to say, Principal Smith already said it to me."

"Raven! Why won't you stop and talk to me about this?" Sarah pleaded.

"Because me talking to you about my problems has gone _so well_ in the past," she shot back. "I come to you about my problems, I get a canned response to "wear colored clothes and things will be butterflies and sunshine for me". If that's all you've got to say, then you might as well just go because it's not good, or even _real_ advice."

"I don't know what else to tell you! You're so caught up in your dark 'doom and gloom' outfits, you're not seeing the bigger picture!" Raven heard her mother say again. "Do you honestly think your father and I want to see you so upset all the time? We're trying to help you, but you won't budge! _Everybody_ changes over time, sweetheart. Do you honestly see yourself wearing fishnet and corsets five years from now?"

"She says I'm caught up and turns around to do the same thing," Raven laughed, in spite of herself. Pushing up out of her chair, she turned to face her mother. "Mom. _Listen to me_. I don't smoke. I don't drink underage. And I don't do drugs. I know a lot of kids at school that do the first two things and they get put on a pedestal, all the time. _Nothing they do is ever seen as wrong_."

"Raven, stop-"

"No! What is _so unspeakably awful_ about me wearing the stuff I do?! And honestly, I don't know! Does that at least make you happy that there's a _fleeting possibility_? You and dad - all the time! You make me feel like I'm only two inches tall."

Sarah knew deep down Raven was right. Their daughter, stubborn as she might have been, and despite the fact she frequently came home _late_ , never came home drunk or smelling like cigarette smoke and she was healthy as a horse.

"You both deliberately buy me _expensive_ stuff you _know_ I won't like, get mad at me for _not liking it_ because you went to go out and spend the money on it, then dad whispers "we'll give her money next time" - loud enough for me to hear it. I don't want money or his guilt trips! I want some _compromise_ \- meet me in the middle, for once. My self-esteem is already below zero but you have no idea how much it hurts. You have no idea how much it hurts, to come home, and not be able to talk to my _own parents_ about how I feel, because you guys have already demonstrated how much you don't care."

"Sweetie, please… That's not true. We just think it'd be easier on you…"

"Let me explain, mom. If I were to go to school tomorrow, dressed the way _you_ want me to dress, sure, the _teachers_ might like it. But the _kids_? They're just going to laugh at me for "trying to fit in" and _nothing_ will have changed. I don't want to be one of the 'cool kids', because they're all _jerks_. Clothes don't make a person," she explained, pointing to the crown of her head. " _This_ does. Up here. And right now, everything up here is a mess."

Raven could practically see the thoughts swimming in her mom's head as her eyes diverted to the ground. She and her mom didn't always see eye-to-eye, but her mom was in ways, easier to talk to than her dad. Raven got her stubbornness from him. But she wasn't finished, and took to sitting on her bed, kicking off her Docs.

"You let me do _whatever I wanted_ when I was a kid. I never wanted for _anything_. If I wanted that black shirt, you or dad bought it for me. You let me watch Elvira, the Addams Family, Rocky Horror Picture Show, a lot of other stuff I _shouldn't_ have watched at that age… Well now, that stuff has become my _security blanket_. You thought it was a phase and that I'd move on eventually. I don't go to you guys for my problems, anymore, because _you don't help_."

"Then what do you do?"

"I text or call Becky, Mom. If it wasn't for her, I'd have gone crazy by now," Raven sighed. "Becky isn't always there, though. She has things she has to take care of at her family's farm. So, I turn on an old episode of Elvira or the Addams Family. None of those shows are conventional sitcoms by a long shot, but they feel more like my parents than you do, sometimes. Wednesday gets picked on all the time for being different, but she genuinely doesn't care, because Morticia and Gomez have never let her think she's anything less than amazing. But they don't let her get away with everything, either."

Silence came next. "Honey… I didn't realize…"

Raven seemed to finally get everything off her chest, and she leaned into her mom's side as Sarah took a seat next to her daughter. "You see why I'm so angry and on edge all the time, now?" Raven asked, allowing her head to rest on her mom's shoulder.

"I do… And I'm sorry. When your father gets home, I'm going to tell him the overall point of what you said to me… and you had a lot to say. You're still in trouble for fighting at school, though."

"I _want_ to talk to you guys. I'm just always afraid you might have something to say about stuff that shouldn't even _matter_ in the grand scheme of things. I miss the way you guys used to be, when I was a kid. You didn't _care_ about what I wore, you just knew on a good day, I was a good kid. That's literally all I ever wanted from you."

"Understood. I'm going to go make dinner and I'll talk about it with him _after_ dinner. For now, just try to focus on your homework. And don't stay up late, tonight. You'll have plenty of time, tomorrow."

"Fair enough. I'll see you at dinner."


End file.
